Getting to Know: UK Alt-Prog Rockers, In Crowded Skies
In today’s Getting to Know, we meet UK alt-prig rockers, In Crowded Skies. They get by with a little help from their energy drinks and junk food. If you are in an up and coming band that would like to partake in a Getting to Know feature, contact editor@riffyou.com to receive the questionnaire and instructions. Thanks!
Band Name: In Crowded Skies
Band Members: Pete Herbert (lead vocals, bass), Shaun Taylor (guitar), Matthew Downes (drums), and Luke Martin (guitar).
Years Active: 1.5
City of Origin: Medway, England
Who are you and what do you do?
“We are ‘In Crowded Skies’ and we play a blend of alternative/progressive rock.”
In 100 words or less, tell us how your band has gotten to this point.
“We formed back in April of 2013 when Shaun and Matt were looking for members to start up a new band. Pete was interested and got in touch. Things went well and by the time June came around, we snapped up Luke and completed our line-up! After spending almost a year focussing on writing a really cool bunch of songs we released our debut EP and started gigging a ton.”
What is your latest release and how would you best describe it to someone who hasn’t heard your band?
“Our debut EP …What Happens Now? was released in May of this year. It’s an EP that we are all really proud of. It’s got a mixture of some really light, cool and chilled sounds and then it has some really big and heavy but melodic songs. If you are a Coheed and Cambria fan – or like any music similar to that –then you should definitely check us out!”
When making an album, which aspect of the process do you put the most time into and why?
“With this being our debut release, we spent a lot of time on the music and gelling as a band in our local practice room. Once the music is written, Pete takes it away and writes his lyrics and gets really focused on his vocal parts. After the parts are written, our drummer Matt then records and mixes the songs.”
What is the best part about your band and why?
“It’s gotta be the gigging! We love playing to a crowd and just generally being part of the live circuit.”
What makes your band unique from the rest?
“We take inspiration from all sorts of styles, and through doing that the music and vocals stay interesting.”
How does your band survive the challenges of touring/gigging?
“Energy drinks and junk food! As for touring…well, we will get back to you on that one. But, we reckon you will get the same answer!”
Would you rather be critically-acclaimed; rich and famous; or an under-the-radar band with a dedicated fan base?
“We all wouldn’t mind a bit of everything. The main thing for us is that we have people who genuinely enjoy our music and come and party with us at shows.”
If you’d have to compare your band to another one out there, living or dead, who would it be and why?
“If we had to settle on one band that we had to compare ourselves to we would choose Tides of Man (Tilian Era). Why? Collectively, we have similar vibes going on.”
Which band/musician would you like to share many drinks with? What would you talk about?
“We all agreed that it would have to be Coheed and Cambria. We would talk about the Amory Wars comics; the stories behind their songs; past tour experiences; and the gear they use.”
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